Joe Biden has announced he is withdrawing from the US presidential race.
“While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term” he posted on X, this morning.
“It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve as your President”.
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In a follow-up, Biden formally endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee, saying, “Democrats—it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
This is the first time a President has withdrawn from a reelection bid since 1968.
Delegates for the party will officially choose who they want to lead them into the November election and the running mate at the Democratic National Convention on August 19 in Chicago.
While Biden has endorsed Harris – the nomination could be contested.
While there are other candidates, Harris, as Biden’s official running mate, can access the $US91 million cash on hand the president’s campaign has raised — which grows to $US240 million when including allied Democratic organisations — in ways Democratic alternatives likely can’t.
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